Percy Jackson Stark

chapter 12- After That

disclaimer: i don't own anything

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Tony entered Percy's room. It was maybe an hour after they had reached the HQ, and he was still passed out. Tony sat down at the edge of the bed, and looked at him. He put his hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. His temperature wasn't really high. Percy coughed, and moved. Then his eyes slowly opened. He looked like he never wanted to wake up EVER.

"Hey," Tony said, "how'd you sleep?"

Percy buried half his face into the pillow, and shook his head. "Dreams." He muttered.

"You're okay now, right?" Tony asked. "Or it still hurts."

"I don't know." Percy said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tony asked.

"If it's stopped, great," Percy said. "If it hasn't, I guess I'm used to it?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Tony asked.

"Both."

"So what happ-" Tony attempted to ask.

"Dad," Percy said seriously, "I'm hungry."

"First tell me what happened."

Percy took and shaky breath. "When those guys entered, it started hurting."

"Where?" Tony asked.

Percy pointed to his heart. "And like in my gut and basically all of the left side."

"Of your entire body?"

"No. From a little below my gut to my shoulder." Percy said. "Anyway, I thought I was just scared maybe. But then when I breathed it hurt, so I knew that wasn't it, so when you got into the fight it got worse, and before Gary could attack me I-" he took and deep breath. "I don't know. It felt like someone stabbed me with hot metal and then he exploded."

Tony stared at him. "but how?"

"Blood." Percy replied. "It's liquid."

"I know that." Tony said. "But why hadn't it ever happened before."

Percy shook his head. "I don't know. I think I lost control. People always said that I could, but I didn't know it would hurt so much."

Then it hit Tony like a truck. "No." Tony said. "you didn't lose control. Someone MADE you lose control. Forced it to happen."

Percy looked at him. "Oh no, this is bad."

"Pretty much." Tony said.

"PRETTY MUCH?" Percy sat up. "If he can control me, dad, I won't even know what I'd do. I just don't want to kill any of you, and then live."

Tony gently pushed him down. "It's okay. We'll figure something out."

"How?" Percy asked. "I don't think that-"

"We'll figure something out." Tony insisted. "But you have to try your best. Try to fight it."

"What do you THINK I was trying to do?" Percy said, annoyed. "I certainly wasn't enjoying it, and then the-" he stopped abruptly. "Look. I tried. It's hard."

"Try harder." Tony said.

"It's easy for you to say." Percy replied. He looked like he wanted to dig a whole in the ground and disappear forever.

"I know it is." Tony said. "I don't understand what you felt and how much it hurt. But you and I BOTH promised we won't die."

"If keeping a promise was that easy, then there won't have been so many broken hearts." Percy said. "Promises are the easiest thing to give, and the hardest thing to keep. It's messed up."